This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.

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Now people I know its fun to poke fun, but it is the season for good will and cheer. Lets rise above the petty stabs at least until Dec 26th. I personally wish Lisa and hers the very best for the holidays. And wish for her to come around and see the error in her ways, and join us in building a better place to live.Merry Xmas everyone or what ever you choose to celebrate.

Please David Hernandez and Ted Hayes go back to city council like you did last week and blast those dumb ass members. The 2 Long Beach police officers were shot and are in critical condition by an ILLEGAL GANG MEMBER. These are the assholes our city council want to protect with the Declaration of LA. Too many officers have been shot and some killed (David March Sheriff) by ILLEGALS. No one is saying anything about this and there should be outrage. If anyone can do it its David and Ted. Here's the perfect argurment to the stupidity of council protecting illegals who are CRIMINALS, using free services, committing identity fraud cause we all know they use fake social security cards to get work and so on.

7:31 Yup, totally disgusting on so many levels. Long Beach Police Chief Batts described Gallegos (i.e., illegal alien gang member) as a "known thug" and said his first arrest was in 1990 in Long Beach on a firearms violation. His record also includes drugs, terrorist threats and assault.

He was deported in 1994. In fact, "He may have been deported several times," Batts said.

8:53am well said. The kiss ass LA Slimes doesn't even have this story on the front page and in fact doesn't have the illegal gang banger's photo like the other papers. The LA Slimes never mentions the suspect is illegal. Why? Could it be our midget mayor supports illegals and he gave them a certificate for great reporting?? If anyone can bring attention to this crisis in the city of illegal criminals its David Hernandez and Ted Hayes who are great activists for the people. I want them to go back to city council and embarrass those fools. How can they support people who refuse to learn English, file for citizenship yet take all the free services and use fraud documents to get jobs and never file income tax returns. Damn, I wish ICE would raid downtown LA garment district and all the top restaurants where we know they all work.

Here's is an explanation from the Language Log (link at bottom) of why some people overuse the term "if you will":

It's like, so unfairWhy are the old fogeys and usage whiners of the world so upset about the epistemic-hedging use of like, as in She's, like, so cool?

The old fogeys use equivalent devices themselves, all the time. An extremely common one is "if you will". Semantically it does exactly what like does. Let me explain.

Look at these synonymous pairs:

1A. The evidence I think will show that of the total amount of money raised from private sources, and from profits or increases in markup, if you will, on the sale of U.S. weapons to Iran, that a relatively small percentage of that money went to the Contras.

1B. The evidence I think will show that of the total amount of money raised from private sources, and from profits or increases in, like, markup on the sale of U.S. weapons to Iran, that a relatively small percentage of that money went to the Contras.

2A. The baboon that's best at coping with stress is the one that seeks emotional backing from other baboons (support groups, if you will), the researchers found.

2B. The baboon that's best at coping with stress is the one that seeks emotional backing from other baboons (like, support groups), the researchers found.

In each case, the first sentence is a quote from The Wall Street Journal.

They mostly appear to be quotes from educated and prosperous middle-aged person. -- CEOs and so on.

The second sentence in each pair is my translation into the style of younger speakers.

When people who think the English language is going to hell in a handcart cite phenomena like this use of like as their evidence, things are going a bit too far.

Like functions in younger speakers' English as something perfectly ordinary: a way to signal hedging about vocabulary choice -- a momentary uncertainty about whether the adjacent expression is exactly the right form of words or not.

If the English language didn't implode when if you will took on this kind of role among the baby boomers, it will survive having like take on an extremely similar role for their kids.

The people who grouse about like are myopic old whiners who haven't looked at their own, like, linguistic foibles, if you will.

10:54am Damn, are you reaching far. Who the hell cares about your explanation? Sarno needs to be replaced and I find it interesting that Antonio extended her term for 6 months. He's an idiot if he thinks we're dumb not knowing he could have found one of his political payback friends to put in her place. Antonio knows Sarno is not liked. Can someone name me ONE NC that supports Sarno? I can name you tons who don't and after that blistering report made up with some allegations its gotten worst.

I think we should let her run a juvinile detention center, or maybe we can put her in charge of cleaning up skid row. Then she could write a report about how homeless people are n epidemic and she needs police power to arrest them all for their own proection... if you will.